STARTING POINT OF ACTIONS OF OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS IS TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN

Noyan Tapan

Au g 5, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 5, NOYAN TAPAN. In his interview with APA agency,
the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza said that in
order to get a political solution to the Karabakh problem, Armenia and
Azerbaijan need to reach a compromise on status of Nagorno Karabakh.

We cannot predict what kind of compromise it will be, or when it
will be reached. However, the co-chairs propose that the residents of
Nagorno Karabakh play a key role in the issue of specifying status of
the region – through a reverendum in the future, M. Bryza said, adding
that the peculiarities of such a vote should be decided by the sides.

In his words, this process can only take place after the return of
displaced persons and refugees, which will take some time.

Expressing a positive opinion about the August 1 meeting of the
Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian and the Azeri foreign
minister Elmar Mamedyarov in Moscow, the U.S. co-chair said that the
foreign ministers agreed to continue negotiations under the aegis
of the OSCE Minsk Group – in order to come to an agreement about
the sides’ positions on the issues noted in the Madrid proposals of
the co-chairs.

It is important to remember that no separate element has been agreed
on; the only way to agree on any of the elements is to agree on all
the elements at the same time, M. Bryza underlined.

According to Radio Liberty, he also said that the co-chairs start
all their actions from the position of recognition of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity.